1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to a multi-element flexible strap light. More specifically, the multi-element flexible strap light provides light using a plurality of light elements disposed on a flexible chassis. The plurality of light elements are controlled by a control element. The control element includes a mode switch for operating the plurality of light elements. The multi-element flexible strap light includes a power port for receiving power from a remote battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
Human eyes are particularly sensitive to light. Accordingly, mankind has developed different ways of providing artificial light in darkness. Originally, artificial light was provided by flame based devices, including pitch torches, fuel based lanterns, candles, and other examples. Since the advent of electricity, artificial light has been provided by flashlights and electric battery powered lanterns.
More recently, artificial light has been provided by flashlights that use LED (light emitting diode) technology. LED technology provides reasonably bright light while using relatively low electrical current. More simply, the use of LED technology provides more light for less electrical power than conventional incandescent (bulb and filament) light technology. LED technology also has the advantage of providing more artificial light than conventional incandescent light technology in a smaller physical footprint. More simply, the use of LED technology provides for more light in less physical space than conventional incandescent (bulb and filament) light technology. Because a relatively large amount of artificial light can be generated by a small flashlight, many flashlight form factors have been developed to provide light during a variety of activities or situations.
For example, headlamps have been developed which essentially attach a flashlight to a user's head via an elastic strap. Many users find headlamps helpful because when a headlamp is placed on a user's forehead, a headlamp always points in the direction of a user's eyes. Thus, anything the user looks at is illuminated by the headlamp. While headlamps can be useful, headlamps fail when used in proximity to other people. For example, if a headlamp user looks at another person, the light from the headlamp shines into the other person's eyes, causing the person pain or desensitizing the person's eyes to low amounts of light.
Another example of a popular flashlight form factor which uses LED technology may include a reflector light. Reflector lights typically have several LEDs (light emitting diodes) designed to make a user more visible to other people. Typically reflector lights that are designed to face forward are implemented to emit white light while reflector lights that are designed to face rearward are implemented to emit red light. Reflector lights are typically used by bikers, joggers, or other users exercising along busy roadways in an effort to make themselves more visible to drivers. Conventional reflector lights may include clips that may attach to a user's clothing, shoes, equipment, or hat. Unfortunately, these clips are generally hard to use and, in many cases, do not remain in a fixed position while the bikers, joggers, or other users are participating in their chosen activity. For example, reflector lights tend to move or fall off as a user runs. This movement in the reflector lights can obscure the light and make the bikers, joggers, or other users less visible than they may believe themselves to be, potentially leaving these bikers, joggers, or other users in more danger than they expect.
Electrical flashlights and lanterns also conventionally rely on local battery power. For example, the flashlight or the lantern itself contains or houses a battery that powers the LEDs associated with the flashlight or the lantern. While, in some cases, it may be convenient to house a battery inside the flashlight or the lantern, many flashlights or lanterns either require additional physical space to house the batteries or use small batteries that have limited current capacity (which in turn limits available brightness of emitted light).
Finally, conventional electrical flashlights and lanterns generally have restrictive beam patterns. For example, an electrical flashlight may emit a beam of light in a particular direction with a beam width of 10 degrees. Thus, in the example of an electrical flashlight, a user may have to scan an object from side to side and top to bottom to see the object with sufficient clarity. The electrical flashlight typically illuminates objects that are farther away than does a lantern but provides light in substantially less physical area around the user. A lantern, however, may emit light with a beam width of 360 degrees. Thus, in the example of an electrical lantern, a user may have to closely approach an object to see the object with sufficient clarity. The electrical lantern typically illuminates objects that are relatively close to a user and provides light in substantially more physical area around the user but fails to adequately illuminate objects that are farther away from a user.
Thus, while electrical flashlights and lanterns provide some utility in various situations, neither electrical flashlights nor lanterns are useful in some situations. For example, electrical flashlights cannot illuminate an entire campsite while an electrical lantern cannot illuminate a significant length of a trail. Thus, in many cases, it has been advisable to use both an electrical flashlight and a lantern to illuminate a dark area.
It is therefore one object of this disclosure to provide a multi-element flexible strap light. It is a further object of this disclosure to provide multi-element flexible strap light with a relatively small physical footprint. It is a further object of this disclosure to provide a multi-element flexible strap light that emits light in a direction that is low enough to not adversely affect other people.
It is a further object of this disclosure to provide a multi-element flexible strap light that firmly attaches to a user's clothing, equipment, shoes, or hat without movement during the user's activities. It is a further object of this disclosure to provide a multi-element flexible strap light with a remote battery, reducing the overall physical size of the multi-element flexible strap light. It is a further object of this disclosure to provide a multi-element flexible strap light that emits light in a particular direction while also emitting light in a wider area around a user than conventional technologies.